Can You Hear Me?
by thelightninggale
Summary: Revised version of the first Twilight novel with a new original character. Includes Bella, Edward, and a new female lead who potentially could mess things up a bit for the love duo. What happens when Edward meets a young woman who has abilities that mirrors his? Will they bond over their new found similarities or will Bella- and fate- stand in their way?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! Thanks for deciding to read my story. This is my take on the first Twilight with an original character added into the mix. All rights to Twilight characters are Stephenie Meyer, and all original characters are mine. Please remember to leave a review at the end, tell me what you think, what you'd like to see, what you think of the new addition to my version of Twilight, or just say hi! I love receiving constructive criticism, if you see some errors in grammar or spelling or anything you feel doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will clarify for you, and perhaps revise the chapters. Stay tuned for the next chapter when we meet Edward and Bella. I will try to publish a new chapter every day or every other day. Have a great day, happy reading!**

CHAPTER ONE

I never thought I was different. I thought I was a normal girl, with a normal life, living in a normal town, with normal friends and family. Everything about me has always been...normal. My childhood wasn't depressing, I didn't have horrible things happen to me, and I had everything I needed to live and survive comfortably with my family. You could say I was one of the lucky ones, and I wouldn't disagree. When my family decided to move for a job my father received, I was pretty disappointed. I was going to have to leave all of my friends in the middle of my high school career and start fresh. It could be a good thing, right? I could reinvent myself, make a different name for myself and be able to be even happier than I was living in Sacramento.

Forks, Washington had a population smaller than my high school. It was a droll and depressed little town with constant cloud coverage that made me want to stay in my bed forever and hide away like the sun. I wasn't happy. It wasn't until I suffered a blow to the head by falling on a sheet of ice that I knew that I was meant to be here for some reason. There was something in this town, something different, and it had lead me here to discover who I really was.

I spent four nights in the hospital before I woke up from a very short coma. I had hit my head so hard and with so much force it took the life out of me for a couple of days. When I woke up, I saw my mother and father, wide eyed, staring at me like they'd never seen me before. My light brown hair was sprawled out over a too soft pillow, my blue eyes blinking slowly as I tried to take in everything around me. I looked at my mom first, gave her the best smile I could, which I knew was probably weak and more of a grimace than anything. _"She looks awful,"_ I heard my dad say. I snapped my head over, but he was still staring at me with the same expression he had when I woke up. "Thanks, dad, you don't look so great yourself." He looked at me, stunned, then to my mother. "I didn't say anything, love, you look beautiful as always," he said hesitantly. I watched a nervous hand cup the back of his neck and pull slightly, the tension in his body could be seen for miles.

My eyebrows furred together, and more voices began to come rushing in. I could hear them from down the hall, up the stairs, through the walls. Everything was jumbling together I couldn't make sense of any of it and I thought I had actually lost my mind. My mind was running running running and I couldn't catch up with it. I reached out to grab it but it kept slipping through my fingers faster than I could react. I felt like a snail in a bed of molasses, every movement I made seemed to be all too slow. Before I knew it I was clutching my head, screaming out loud to attempt to get the voices to diminish. Everything was so loud, my vision was beginning to blur and the voices were getting stronger. I heard a faint ringing noise, it felt like I was going deaf despite the crying and the begging and the whispers that were clouding every corner of my brain. A doctor rushed into the room, his skin porcelain white, his eyes such a fierce color of gold it startled me. I could barely concentrate on his face as he reassured me everything was okay, to breathe, but I couldn't. I couldn't couldn't couldn't do anything more than scream. My father and mother disappeared to be replaced with nurses. I faintly heard a kind woman's voice say, "Shhh, you're going back to sleep," then everything was dark again.

The dreams were strange. It was like I could never get out of them, no matter how hard I tried. I would fall deeper and deeper into each dream, only to wake up slowly from each one until I was back at the original. It was like a maze I had to sort my way through before my body would allow me to awaken. I dreamed of a small valley, with a nice pond to the side and thousands of wild flowers growing over and under, up and around each other with no semblance of uniformity. It was beautiful. There was a man there, his face too much of a blur, but his eyes were a startling bright red. He dashed towards me with such ferocity his legs and body were a blur. That's when I woke up for the second time. "How long has it been," my voice was raspy and my eyes shut. Maybe if I didn't open my eyes, the voices wouldn't come back. "Two days," I heard a male voice I faintly remembered. My eyes opened slowly to see the golden eyes I had seen before. They weren't as gold as I remembered them, but still one of the prettiest colors I had ever seen. I searched his eyes for some answers, but couldn't find any. Despite his soft features, his eyes were hard, they were almost unnerving. "I feel better," I said, more to myself than to him. There were no voices, none that had started yet, at least.

What the hell had that been? I swear it was as clear as day, I felt like I was inside my father's head, listening to his thoughts, listening to the inflections in his tone as he processed thoughts. I could hear the gears moving in his head as he processed the emotion of me waking up. He felt joy, then suddenly felt embarrassment when I called him out on his thoughts. He had so much tension, like a small boy caught with his hand in the candy jar.

There was nothing now, though, and I couldn't help but feel thankful for it. Maybe it was a reaction to the pain meds, or from being in a coma, who knows. All I knew was I wanted to go home, get a good night sleep, and be able to start this new semester off right.

There's a lot of anxiety with starting a new school, but even more when you begin the school year in the middle of it. The class sizes had to be ridiculously small considering the population of the town. Everyone would notice I was the new girl, something I wasn't really looking forward to. Back home, I had my friends, but I also didn't have every single person knowing who I was. This was going to be...weird, to say the least.

I pulled myself back to reality, looking at the doctor in front of me. "What's your name?" I asked him, not realizing how weak my voice really was. I doubted school would happen tomorrow. "Doctor Cullen," he said, a small smile pulling around the corner of his face. "I'm just going to check your heart beat and do a couple x rays on your head to see how you're healing. You had some very minor swelling on your brain, but it's gone now and everything should be back to normal." He pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and put the pieces in his ears, pressing the cold piece to my chest. I shivered slightly, his hand was colder than the metal piece. "You must be freezing," I observed, looking up at him with curious eyes. He smiled and nodded like he had heard that before. "Cold hands, warm heart."

I was released two days later, and received excused absences from school. It made me chuckle thinking of the conversation my mother had with the receptionist at the school. "I apologize, my daughter just woke up from a coma. She's going to need a couple days before she can attend classes."

I was determined to make my first day at this new school the best one yet. I had missed the day that everyone dresses up and looks their best on the first day back, so I was determined to make this day the day that I had missed. I straightened my hair, proud of how long it had gotten. Ever since the short bob fiasco of 5th grade, I haven't cut it. It's nice elbow length, with a slight curl to the ends. Makeup hadn't always been my best area, but I made due with a light foundation and some mascara. It took me twenty minutes to get my eyeliner even with one another, and another five for mascara. I was glad I had woken up an hour early or I never would've been ready wen my dad called up the stairs. Here's to the second half of my sophomore year. I threw my backpack over my shoulder and opened my bedroom door. "Coming!" I called, and we were off.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was so happy to receive some reviews, I thought I'd go ahead and submit chapter two so you can meet more and get a glimpsee of the canon Twilight characters! Thanks so much for reading, and as always drop by in the review box and say hello, give me some criticism, and tell me what you think! Have a great day, and happy reading!**

I'd be lying to say I wasn't terrified of walking out the front door. The ice I had fallen on was still there, still relatively thick from the lack of sunlight this side of the house received. The roads were completely clear, I just had make it to the car- "Dad!" I squealed, almost jumping up and down in glee. My mother was standing by a new (to me) car, next to our normal family car. "We thought it'd be a good 'glad you're out of a coma' present, since we sold your last car," my father beamed. " _This is such a bad idea,_ " I heard him say, but his lips weren't moving. It was happening again. Oh lord, okay, focus focus focus. I smiled at him and took the keys. It was a beautiful car, a white chevy with the emblems of the chevy symbols repainted my favorite shade of teal. There was a sun roof (like there was every any sun here to begin with), and as I sat down I saw all cool technology features it had. My dad was in the passengers side, using my phone to set it up to the blue tooth. "There should be no reason for you to be talking on the phone and driving, this way you can just press this button and call whoever," he said, his voice nervous. "Thanks dad,"I smiled, and looked back to my mom. Her thoughts were all over the place. From worry to fear, to happiness, and everything in between. "I love you guys. I'll see you this afternoon." I shut the door and turned the ignition, loving the noise of it revving to life. My parents were watching me, both of their minds going crazy. I concentrated as hard as I could, building imaginary walls in my mind until all of the voices were gone. I could shut this off if I tried hard enough. But what is _this_?

I got lucky that Forks High actually had a website. I wasn't really expecting it, considering the hillbilly esque type of town this seemed, but I was able to print off my schedule and only have to check in at the main office.

When I parked my car, I suddenly felt subconscious. Most of the cars that were contained in the parking lot looked quite old; maybe even older than me. I heard a loud POP, and a mousy looking girl with a red truck that was definitely older than me, hopped clumsily out of her truck. I cocked my head to the side, watching her fidget with her hair and walk towards the entrance of the school. She was being watched by a very small crowd of people, male and female mixed in. Short hair, long blonde hair, one guy who looked like the human version of the hulk, and a much smaller, lean looking guy. All of their eyes were trained on her. " _She knows,_ " I heard one of them say, "She's going to expose us," I heard a female voice say, which I assumed belong to the blonde because of her angry, animalistic stance. She looked like she wanted to kill the innocent girl, and I couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be so special about her.

The voices were getting stronger as I neared more students. I had only had this ability for mere minutes, but after I accepted what was happening, and that it wasn't just some weird fluke of the coma, I was beginning to be able to block some of the voices out. I walked into the front door, and bumped into a young guy, his hair almost as dark as his eyes. "Hi," I said casually, and raised an eyebrow as he unabashedly looked me up and down. "Well hello there, madam, it's funny that we meet like this, considering I've been looking for you all my life," he said with such a false smooth demeanor I laughed out loud. "I'm Cheyenne," I said, sticking my hand out to shake his. He returned the greeting and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Could you tell me where the main office is?" I looked to my left and right, but only lockers lined the walls. "I'll walk you there, Chey-Chey, I'm Eric," he took my hand and pulled me toward the office that was right around the corner. " _Be cool man, you only get one shot, be cool,"_ His palms were getting sweaty in my hand. When he realized this he quickly let me go, and his face began to go red. "Here you go, Miss Cheyenne, Mr. Rucker should be able to help you out- oh, and," he paused, trying to regain his excited composure. "You can sit with me at lunch, you know, since you're new and everything," he ran his fingers through his hair and turned on his heel, his thoughts slowly drifting from my mind. _"Stupid, stupid, stupid,"_ I heard echo as he walked away, and couldn't help but giggle to myself. After checking in, it was off to my junior math class.

I was dreading this class, so I suppose I could be thankful for getting it out of the way. I have my mother's anxiety, and thinking about being in a class with other students who are older than me and have "seniority" made me feel like I was bully zone target number one. I sat down towards the back of the class, away from my usual seating in the front back home in Sacramento. I was 7 minutes early to the class, which gave me time to find the right book in my overloaded back pack and grab a notebook and pencil. Students slowly began to file in, taking their predetermined seats that they had probably been sitting in since the beginning of the year. I analyzed each of their thoughts, making it somewhat of a game to me. I turned it off, then attempted to single out one person I wanted to turn on. It was difficult the first few tries, but by the seventh or eighth student, I was beaming at how easy it was becoming. Until the ninth student walked in. My face faltered as I stared at him with such intent that I knew I probably looked like a lunatic. His gaze followed mine, his eyes a glittering, magnificent golden color, his skin white as a ghost. I couldn't get over his golden hair, that looked like bed head, but I knew probably took at least fifteen minutes to style. No guy as that perfect. It just didn't happen. For some reason though, I couldn't get inside his brain. It was like he had his own walls built up and every wall I pushed down, another one built up. He stood upfront of my desk, his lips pressed so hard together I was sure they were just going to crack. "Hello," he said slowly, his eyes searching mine. His jaw was tense, and his body language on high alert. I didn't speak. I was so lost in his eyes, so lost in the attempt to break down his walls that I was exhausting myself. I was so.. tired, then everything went black.

When I woke up, I was laying on the cold floor of my math class. How embarrassing. The first attractive guy that speaks to me, and I pass out. Great, Cheyenne- way to go. What a wonderful way to begin the school year. There might as well have been a warning label stapled to my back, "warning, attractive males will make me faint". My cheeks instantly flushed a deep red. Several students stood over me, but the boy with the golden eyes was no where to be found.

Lunch was a little better. I took up Eric's offer to let me sit at lunch with him, and the rest of his small gang, the mousy girl included. Perfect, maybe I could pry into that situation. I chomped on a salad, pretending math class never even happened, and tried to make small talk with some of the girls at the table. Come to find out, Eric and most of his friends were also juniors, but I was able to push the anxiety to the side, I was only a couple months younger than most of them. "I'm Bella," the brown haired girl said. She stuck a hand out to shake my hand, and knocked over my water cup. I jumped up before the water could hit my jeans, and quickly picked up the cup. "Nice to meet you," I smiled, and stuck my hand out to meet hers that was still awkwardly placed in the air. "We can be clumsy friends together," I laughed, trying to make light of the embarrassment she obviously felt. It was written all over her face, and in her head. "I just woke up from a coma from slipping on some ice," I continued to laugh, retelling the story to a few more of my new found friends.

Toward the end of our lunch break, five people came in at the back entrance, all of them absolutely perfect- and golden boy was within the mix. "So is that the, 'I'm more attractive than Calvin Klein models group?" I asked before I could realize what I was saying. Jessica, a girl across the table filled me in. "They're the Cullens. Their dad is a doctor and they're all adopted. I guess he only picks the attractive ones," she rolled her eyes and dropped her fork on the plate. Her mind told all, quick pictures of Edward turning her down politely, which she took as a direct hit to her heart.

Bella remained quiet, I noticed, but her mind was swimming. "Edward is always staring at Bella," Jessica interjected once more, smiling at Bella's direction. She blushed a deep crimson red, and stared down at her plate, twirling her fork around the salad.

My eyes narrowed on her, then looked back to the table the Cullens were at. Only one was staring so intently on her, who I'm sure was Edward.

"Seems like he's quite fascinated with you, Bella," I said, my eyes still narrowed on Edward. His head jerked towards me like he had heard what I said, even though he was on the other end of the cafeteria. There was something about him I didn't like. Something that made me uneasy. He watched me as I stood up and said a quick goodbye to the table, and walked towards the back exit where he was sitting. He stood up as soon as I passed, and followed me out.

"Cheyenne," he said, his voice low. "Welcome to Forks, I hope I didn't cause your episode in math class today," he said, my back still turned to him. Why couldn't I get inside his head?

"Not at all, Edward," I said. He didn't seem surprised that I knew his name. My head cocked to the side. "Your eyes resemble your fathers in such an identical way," I said out of no where, watching him swallow and avert his eyes. "Yes, quite peculiar," he said thoughtfully, avoiding my eyes. The tension was so thick I felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like he knew, and I felt like he knew that I knew, but neither of us said anything. We just stood there in silence for several moments, before I broke it. "I have to be going, I'll see you around." I turned on my heel and let out a breath that I had been holding in for way too long. I had to leave. The hair on my neck was standing up, I had chills all over my body, and my heartbeat felt like it was going a million miles an hour. Who was this Edward and what was he doing to me?


	3. Chapter 3

**What do you guys think of the first two chapters? You've seen a few characters, who's your favorite so far? This chapter is going to be in... dun dun dun EDWARD'S POV! Hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think of my portrayal of our beloved vampire boy. I will be posting Chapter Four later in the day. Who would you like introduced to the cast? As always, have a wonderful day and happy reading!**

I would never get over how peculiar this town was. First, I can't read the mind of the most enchanting creature I'd ever had the pleasure of bestowing my eyes on. Now, as soon as I think I'm ready to speak to her, to get to know her, this girl... Cheyenne, her beautiful blue eyes and her headstrong, and confident in her own skin comes to this town and the same thing happens. I cannot get even close to her mind. The way she stares at me, the way I used to stare at others when I was unravelling them... It was all too familiar. It was all too...enchanting. I had always been different, in obvious ways- not many people live off the blood of others, especially just animals, but I was also cursed gifted with the ability to read minds when I wanted. No one had slipped through my abilities until Bella. And now Cheyenne was doing the same thing. Was the universe mocking me because of the creature I was? My fascination with Bella was slowly drifting, despite the pull her blood had on me. I had gotten so skilled in not craving human blood as I once had, and she was quickly unwinding every ability I had to keep myself under control. With Cheyenne, her blood was sweet, the way it coursed through her strong heart was impressive. She was such a vibrant, healthy female, but her blood did not entice me. Her brain did.

After my final class, I walked towards my vehicle, my eyes scanning the parking lot. There was Bella, standing next to her truck with her earphones in, her shoulders tightened with constant anxiety, her eyes low from the very little self esteem she had. It was sad really, such a normal, pretty girl with no faith in herself. I think that's what attracted me to her. She was the sheep to my lion. She was such easy, fragrant prey that it enchanted me. Her loud truck boomed to life, and she was off. Had other, more pressing events not happened today, I would've followed her. I had a new interest though, one that I believed would intrigue me more.

Cheyenne was a whole other species compared to Bella. From their physical attributes to their personalities. It was like night and day, the two girls, yet both seemed to reel me in with such ease that they didn't even know it was happening. My still heart felt like it was going to pump out of my chest, my empty, dead stomach felt like it had been brought back to life, and my brain.. oh, my brain was firing off empty neurons so fast if I didn't know any better I thought I'd faint.

She had fainted. Fainted at the mere words I spoke, or was it something else? It was something to do with me, yet I couldn't put my finger on it. In over one hundred years, I'd had many woman gawk at me, for obvious reasons. Vampires were attractive, there was no denying that, but fainting? It hadn't happened before. She had been unravelling me, breaking down the barriers of my mind with such force you'd think a sledge hammer was working over time- that's what it was. I smiled to myself as I watched her go to her vehicle. Overload. She didn't know how to control whatever ability she had. Whatever gift she had been given had to be done with no mental barriers. She had to have complete access to my brain to be able to do whatever she did. And she couldn't break me.

She's looking at me now, her mind focused. I took this opportunity to help her a little. See if whatever she could do could even be done from the distance we had. So, I broke down my own walls, which was much easier to do from the inside, pushing down instead of pulling in. "Cheyenne," I thought, unlocking the door to my silver Volvo. "What is it that you desire?" I pressed the push to start button on my key pad and rested my hand on the top of my car, the low hum of the vehicle being brought to life under my fingers. I watched her gaze go from determination to absolute horror. She fumbled with her keys, her eyes terrified and her hands shaking. She knocked over a book at the front of her car and scrambled to go pick it up.

There was a loud screeching sound, and everything in my line of sight slowed down to incredibly slow speeds. The snow falling down was slow, everyone's movements looked like they were walking through a blanket of molasses, and a car, a car even in my slowed time was quickly heading right for Bella. Hadn't she left? Her truck was in a different spot than it previously had been in, and I could only assume she had moved to to chat with friends. Now she was alone though, her headphones in her ears and a book in hand. God, she was beautiful. The car had lost traction on the road, and was skidding towards her truck, her in the front of it. She would be completely crushed. I was tripping over my own thoughts, the carelessness this would entail. The risk of exposure was high, yet her life was worth it. I cared too deeply. I thought of her too much, and I had such a bond, such a blood lust for her I could not let her die. I had to save her, I would regret it for the rest of my existence if I didn't.

I rushed toward her at inhuman speed, grabbed her underneath her shoulders and kicked my foot out, leaving a dent in the car as I stopped it. I swore I felt my blood pumping, the adrenaline had to be coursing through my veins. She made me feel... alive.

"Impressive," I heard in my head, and looked down at the terrified brown eyes that were staring up at me. It wasn't Bella's voice I heard, it was Cheyennes. Despite everyone who was closing in now on where Bella lie, I saw Cheyenne, her arms crossed and her head turned to the side. Her eyes said terrified, but her body language said amused. I dropped her gaze, jumped over the vehicle, and left as quickly as I could. Shit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! We are back to Cheyenne's point of view in this chapter. What did you think of Edward and Cheyenne? Please leave a review once you're finished reading- they encourage me to continue writing and put a smile on my face! Any advice or critiques are welcomed. As always, have a wonderful day and happy reading!**

I had no idea where that burst of confidence had come from the day Bella almost got hit by a car. I should be terrified of Edward, and the way he moved so quickly, the way the metal of the car seemed like paper beneath his fingers as he crumpled it. He saved her life, but did so with inhuman abilities. I should be so afraid, I should run the other direction whenever I see him, but I couldn't help but feel comfort knowing he was in at least some ways like me. Maybe I had imagined it, maybe I wanted to believe that I had gotten into his mind and he spoke to me through it. Maybe I have been hallucinating everything that has happened in this dreary town so far. I wanted to hold on to a shred of hope that I was sane, that everything was happening and that I was special, but why now? Why did all of this begin to happen so suddenly? In the past sixteen years of my existence, why wasn't I able to read minds before? What was so special about Forks, Washington?

I shut down my gift when I got home. It was too exhausting listening to thoughts all the time, and honestly I didn't feel like listening to what my parents thought about. Especially if I encountered something of them thinking about one another. I shuddered at the thought.

"How was your first day?" My dad asked me, and I laughed. Oh dad, if only you knew. "It was wonderful, made some great friends, but they didn't hold out on the homework, I'll be in my room," I said and rushed up the stairs to my bedroom. Truth be told, I did all my homework in my final class, which was luckily for me study hall. I needed to research during this alone time, and figure out what the hell was going on with me. And Edward. He obviously knew how his gifts worked, he quickly tapped into them, or however he used them, and saved Bella.

At first I made generic searches on google, telepathy, mind reading, etc. Some people swore up and down that they could read minds, others said they were insane. It was so divided I decided to focus on Edward. Super strength, super speed, extraordinary mind skills". Clark Kent showed up several times, other super heroes and villains graced the page, and I clicked through several pages of google, until something caught my eye. I clicked the article, and skimmed the page.

 _He was ice cold when I touched him and his eyes were bright red._ Just like my dream. I pressed on. _He moved at an insane speed and his strength was uncanny. He looked completely normal in the cloud covered area, but when the sunlight touched his skin it turned a irresistible shimmering color. I thought he was going to kill me, but instead he raced past me and grabbed an unsuspecting deer. I swear the deer looked like it went pale- he was drinking it's blood. When he looked back at me his eyes were a deep blackish gold color and then he was gone. I never believed in supernatural things, but this guy... He was a vampire._

I laughed out loud. A vampire? I clicked the x on the screen and pushed the thought out of my mind. There was no way. He didn't look anything like Dracula or any other vampire character I had seen in the movies. I probably just needed a good nights sleep and think of the logical and rational explanations for what happened with Bella and Edward. Or maybe, I could even talk to her about it.

The next morning proved to be interesting. I was regretting math class being my first class now, it meant I had to face Edward a lot sooner than I had wished. The bell rang as I walked in, and saw the only empty desk in front of Edward. Shit. I lifted my head and walked to the desk, dropping my backpack down next to me. Everyone's thoughts were so loud in my brain, I had to lay my head down on my desk to slowly shut down each one by one. This gift was powerful, and I still didn't know how to completely control it. I felt nauseous. I refused to faint again, once was a fluke, twice was just downright humiliating. I lifted my head until only one voice was creeping into my head. "Can you hear me?" His voice was filled with silk, but was said in such a husky tone I could've sworn it was being whispered in my ear. I rested my hand on my chin and propped myself up on my elbow. Turning sideways in my chair, I stole a glance at him. I expected him to be staring at the board, learning whatever lesson the teacher was instructing, but no. He was staring directly at me. "Hi," I said softly, bending down to grab a notebook and pencil. I twisted back around and wrote the date, trying to focus on the teacher, but I couldn't. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and felt a cold chill wash over my entire body. My heart was racing, palms were sweating, something was happening. "Can you hear me?" I asked, "Tap my shoulder if you can hear me," I thought, looking down at the notepad in front of me. There was a tap on my shoulder. Oh my God. I slowly turned, not even trying to hide the fear on my face.

"Can I borrow a pencil?" he asked, a crooked smile plastered on his face. I could see the amusement in his eyes, his eyes crinkled together like he was trying not to laugh. And he licked his lips-oh God, he licked his lips- and I thought I had died a million times. I felt like putty in his hands, I would give him anything he wanted from me, I would let down every single guard I had for this guy, but what if, oh GOD. My thoughts. My thoughts my thoughts my thoughts. He knew exactly what I was thinking and I thought I was going to hurl. The butterflies in my stomach turned into bats, my heart felt like it sank into my stomach and I'm pretty sure I flatlined for a second. I built wall after wall after wall, trying to shut down everything that I was thinking, but how do you stop thinking? It wasn't possible. All I could think about was one word "Vampire".

I practically threw the pencil at him. He caught it with ease, but his own eyes were filled with horror. He swallowed hard, "Thanks" he breathed, but he wasn't there. He was somewhere lost in his own thoughts, thoughts he wasn't allowing me to retrieve, and I honestly didn't want to. Could things get more awkward? I just professed my undying love for this guy I met yesterday, I just spoke to him through my mind, and now I had a whole other reason for being absolutely humiliated other than fainting on my first day. Way to go, Cheyenne. You're rocking this school year.

He was up the millisecond the bell rang, and so was I. We slammed into each other, him catching me by the back of my head and around my waist. "It isn't a race, class," the teacher at the front was sighing, obviously disappointed at the effort everyone seemed to have to get out of this droll class. I could barely hear him though, all I could do was look at Edward, his cat like reflexes; how he caught me like it was nothing, his strength.. strong enough to put a body builder to shame. "We should talk," I breathed, still terrified out of my mind.

"I think you're right," he said, his eyes softening, yet his body still holding me halfway up.

"You gotta let me up, first," I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Right," he shook his head and released me as soon as I was on my feet, and threw his hand forward ushering me ahead of him. He ran his other through his hair, and it was obvious he knew exactly what he was getting into. I walked past him, feeling exhausted even though it was only 9am.

People were staring. Edward and I were walking side by side, glancing at each other occasionally as we headed for the exit to speak privately. Not like we couldn't do that in our brains, but I didn't really want to think about that until I had to. "You must be popular," I said to him, watching as many student's didn't try to hide their confusion and complete disbelief. "Or you don't talk to people, either way you have a lot of attention on us," I continued, waiting for him to reply, but he said nothing.

"So you know what I am," he finally said, once we were safely in the parking lot. Already breaking rules, aren't you, Chey? If my dad found out I was skipping class I would lose my car. I sighed, hoping this was going to be worth it. I had a good mind to believe it would.

"I have an idea," I said, trying to look away from him, but his eyes made it impossible to look away. "Well then, say it, tell me what you're thinking since you won't let me in," he said, pressing a cold finger to my forehead. Chills went up and down my body. Something about him touching me. Something about his skin and his long fingers made me unable to move. The hair on my arms stood up straight and I was beginning to get dizzy again.

"You're like me," I said softly, finally able to look away from him. It felt weird saying. I had never breathed a word to anyone about the gift I had obtained only a week or so ago. "You can read people's minds, and for some reason, since we both can, we can read each others- when we want to let the other in," I said, taking a deep breath, steadying myself on the car behind me. Hopefully the alarm wouldn't go off.

"That's not all you know," he replied, his eyes burning a hole into my sole. His features were so intense, so frightening I wanted to run. I wanted to run as fast as I could away from this man, I had no idea what he could do to me- no, I knew exactly what he could do to me, and I needed to get out of here. I couldn't profess my love for this guy I barely knew, and I certainly couldn't tell him I wasn't afraid of him. That would be foolish. That would be careless and ignorant. I was very afraid of him, and I knew he knew that. "I am a monster," he told me, and my gaze met his again. His eyes didn't say monster, they said he was soft. "I could snap your neck with my pinky finger and-" "-And you could drain my blood?" I interjected. "So that's what you are, isn't it? You're a vampire." Saying the words made me want to laugh, but I couldn't. It was all becoming so real. Vampires, mind readers, what was next? Werewolves? Fairies? Witches? I was losing my mind.

"Yes. And if you were smart, you would stay away from me." He looked away and bit his lip- GOD, why did he have to do that to me? "You know I couldn't do that," I said, conflicting with myself. I should stay away from him, he was right. But how could I pretend that he didn't exist and lose the only person that could possibly understand what was going on with me? "You can't just tell me you're a vampire, get inside my brain and talk to me, bring me out here into the parking lot and make me miss class just to tell me I needed to stay away from you. Do you really think that's fair?" "Life isn't fair," he said, but it seemed like his words had another meaning. He didn't seem like he was present anymore, lost in his own millions of thoughts. I wanted to be in there. One wall down. Two walls. "Stop," he said, his eyes sharp and unforgiving. "You _really_ don't want to do that," he held up a hand, as if his hand would block me from unravelling his thoughts.

"Then talk to me," I said softly now, looking at him with hope in my eyes. "You're the first person I've ever met, granted it hasn't really been long that I knew myself, anyway, You're the first person I've met that can read minds. I need your help," I was getting really desperate now. Just looking at his face made me want to melt into the snow. "I would like to get to know you," I said, wow, could I get any more desperate?

He smiled lightly, that crooked smile that already captured my heart. "Fine," he said, and turned on his heel, beginning for the entrance. "Would you wanna like, go out to dinner or something?" I asked, my palms sweating. Wasn't it the guy that usually did stuff like this? Jesus, first I faint, then I almost fall getting out of my desk, now I'm asking the guy out? Once again, way to go, Chey.

"How about this," he said, turning to face me again, that same smile back on his face. "I have to be somewhere right after school, but later tonight, I'll pick you up and we can go do something, alright?"

 _Like a date?_ I thought, the gears in my head spinning. Girl-Cheyenne was coming out, already trying to plan on the outfit I would wear, what I would tell my parents, oh GOD they'd want to meet him.

 _Like a date_ , he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

After school I was practically sprinting for my car. I saw Bella and a couple other friends that I had made on my way out, and stopped to say a quick hello.

"Where are you off too in such a hurry, Cheycakes?" Eric asked me. I told him a million times not to call me that. No, it didn't sound like cupcake, it just sounded stupid. "I have a date," I said, my cheeks getting a little red. I wasn't sure if I should say who it was, especially since how unsure of his reputation was. I liked Edward, but I also liked having friends.

"Who?" It was Bella that asked, glancing up from the book in her hands. I smiled lightly, but crossed my arms. "I'm just going to keep it to myself for a little while," I said, looking down at my nails, then back up at her. "Fair enough," she gave me a reassuring smile and closed her book. I really liked her. She was quiet, sure, and very awkward, but she seemed to have good intentions, and I admired that in a person.

"Well I have to go," she announced, looking around the parking lot, for what I wasn't sure. "I'm meeting Edward, I think we are going to go to Port Angeles this afternoon." It was the first time I'd seen her smile, but I know I wasn't returning the emotion. My heart sank into my stomach and I felt like I was going to hurl. "Oh," was all I could muster. "Oh! Are you guys together?" I asked, trying my best to look friendly and open. I hated her. She just smiled at me, "I'm just going to keep it to myself for a little while." She might as well have punched me right in the face.

"You know, he's in my math class," I said, fumbling with my phone. "Do you think you could give me his number? I have a couple questions about some of our classwork today, and he's kind of a genius," I laughed, and copied the number from her phone. It didn't take a mind reader to know what she was thinking. She was absolutely in love with him, and the extent of their relationship was unknown to me. Of course he was a manwhore- look at him! He could have any woman in the world, why would I ever think that I was special, just because we shared a supernatural quirk?

I was already in tears by the time I got to my car. How stupid could I possibly be? My spitefulness was coming out in full blast as I pulled his number up and made a quick text. "Busy tonight, have fun with Bella." Was all I wrote. Hell, how would I even know if he knew it was me? Maybe he had several dates tonight that he spanned into a few set hours. I hated him. I hated her. I hated this town.

No one would ever believe me if I told everyone what Edward was. I would end up in the looney bin, and undergo psychological evaluations. Not something I was really looking to do at sixteen. I threw my hair in a ponytail, wiped my eyes, and headed home. I was going to go out tonight, and I was going to do it alone. I didn't need a boyfriend, I hadn't had one in quite sometime.

"I'm gonna go out with some friends tonight," I announced to my parents, grabbing the sandwich my mom had made for me. "Oh how great, sweetheart, we hope you have fun!"

My mom was the definition of beauty. She had gorgeous long blonde hair that went to her mid back, usually in nice, soft curls, and staggering blue eyes. Her slim frame was envious by many, and her skin the cover girl of perfection. How she ended up with my dad, I'd never know. He wasn't home from work yet, he spent many hours in the office working on agricultural issues and water maintenance. He was the head honcho or whatever you'd want to call it, there, which was probably why he took the job. He had been in charge back in Sacramento, but nothing like he was here in this small town. The amount he was paid made it possible for my mother to stay at home, and all of us to live rather comfortably. I couldn't say the same for many other residents who lived in Forks. It almost made me feel guilty that we were so well off while others scraped by or lived from paycheck to paycheck.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and made my heart start to race. I hadn't saved his number yet, but a string of numbers showed up, and I knew it had to be him. I didn't want to open it yet. I did, but I couldn't. "Thanks for the sandwich," I said to my mom and went upstairs to start getting ready. I was going to look flawless, and I was going to go to Port Angeles and enjoy myself.

It took me almost two hours, between taking a shower, straightening my hair, doing my makeup, and finding a nice outfit. I looked pretty damn good.

I said a quick goodbye to my parents, and started out the door. When I sat down, I opened my phone and took a deep breath. "I'll see you soon." Was all it said. He had so much arrogance I wanted to smack it off his smug face. _No, sir, you won't_ , I thought, rolling my eyes. Then, I was off.

Port Angeles was nowhere near as nice as Sacramento was, but it was nice to be in a bigger city again. I was used to pushing through crowds and tall skyscrapers blocking view of anything else. I liked it. After I parked my car, I headed towards a few of the local hot spots that I had googled before I left. That's when it hit me. A sudden wave of thoughts rushed into my mind. I had forgotten that it actually took effort to keep them closed off. I had to work to shut down that area of my brain before I could go into a large setting. _What a hottie,_ was the first thing to stand out at me. _Man, what I would do to that,_ was another. It was revolting some of the voices I heard as I walked into the local club. It was barely 9:30, but everything seemed to have already come to life in this area. I handed the bouncer my fake ID I had gotten back in Sacramento and walked in. There were too many people. Normally I wouldn't have minded it but everyone's thoughts, especially the sexual ones slapped me in the face a million times. I worked to shut them off, and once I was down to 10 or 15 it was easier to handle. I went up to the bar and ordered myself a beer and sat down. I had three guys in the course of ten minutes come up and ask me to dance, but all I could do was compare them to Edward. They weren't as handsome, they weren't as tall, they weren't as polite... This was a total waste of my time. Edward could probably stick a knife in my hand and I'd still like him. Maybe it was a vampire thing, the way they could pull you in and capture you. Maybe it was part of the mind reading and he had embedded himself into a part of my brain and I didn't even know it. Whatever it was, I just wanted to be close to him and I wanted Bella _gone._ I set my drink down and looked at my phone again. Should I reply to him? Probably not. I didn't want to look crazy and scare him off. I didn't want to nag at him because I barely knew the guy. I tucked my phone back in my pocket and took another sip of my beer.

After about twenty minutes I was starting to feel funny. I had only had one beer, and could usually handle at least two before I needed to eat something and get the tipsiness to go away. This was weird. I stood up and started heading for the exit. I just needed to get to my car and close my eyes for a minute. I just had to keep walking. Everything was starting to blur and this definitely wasn't normal. Not in the slightest. This wasn't me being tipsy- I had been drugged. I needed Edward. I screamed his name over and over in my head, but it wasn't any use. He was gone, out with Bella. I began to fall, and felt two arms catch me before everything went black.

I was in the backseat of a car, the lights of cars going by us must have woken me up. Everything was still blurry and I had puked all over the floor of this car. My mind couldn't catch up to my thoughts, and I tried my best to sit up. I didn't realize there was another body in the back with me. He was staring down at me, hunger in his black eyes. Oh God, no. We came to a stop, and the man jerked me out of the vehicle. I still couldn't see very well, my hearing was practically shot, but I could hear their thoughts, and I couldn't imagine to repeat the vulgarity that they used. I knew two things about this situation, though, without even reading their minds. I was going to be hurt, and I was going to be killed.

They were exposing me, I was screaming, trying to break free from their strong holds. Two bright lights appeared out of nowhere, a car skidding to a stop. "Help me!" I screamed, and one of the men slapped me so hard I fell to the ground and lost my vision. The next thing I heard was yelling and footsteps slamming into the pavement in the opposite direction of me. Two arms lifted me up and put my limp body in the front seat of the car and laid a blanket over me. I couldn't stop the uncontrollable sobbing that was forcing its way out of my throat. I didn't know who had saved me, I couldn't even open my eyes yet. I was still in a fog, and the fog was only beginning to lift. I could see the clock on the dashboard- it was 12:30. My parents were going to kill me. I fumbled around for my phone, but it was no where in sight.

"I already texted your parents," I knew that voice, my phone in his hand. I took it from him, grasping it in both hands and resting my bruising cheek on the cold glass of the car.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked him, my voice weak and drugged. "You- what did you do to them?" I asked, horrified at what he might've done. Did he use whatever vampire abilities he had and sucked the life out of them? I hope he did.

"I followed you until you got into the bar," he said as a matter of factly. You seemed to be holding your own quite well, so I went to the other side of town for some business-" "-you mean to go back to Bella," I asked. "Yes," he said, not trying to hide it now. "She is my business, but she is nothing more than a friend... anymore," he said, his grip tightening around the steering wheel. "You almost died just now, and you're worried about Bella and I?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm sorry- thank you for saving me," I said weakly, tears continuing to roll down my cheeks. "What are you thinking?" I asked him. "I think you're insane," he said instantly, then his features softened. "The most beautiful, insane woman I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

"Well I'll be the last person you meet if you don't slow down." My head wasn't as fuzzy anymore, but God, my face hurt. I didn't know what I was going to tell my parents. "I like driving fast," he smiled, pushing on the gas pedal to make it jump forward. I yelped, but laughed afterwards. I hit his arm, not realizing how hard it was. "Jesus," I said, not even meaning to. "Yeah, first lesson on vampires," he said to me, slowing down at the red light a couple blocks from my house. "We're pretty much stone..Ice cold stone." I nodded slowly. There was so much to process tonight, and I'm not sure if I could handle it all at once. "Well I'm usually too hot anyway," I said, smiling softly at him. "I'd rather be cold than hot."

He dropped me off in front of my house, my car in the driveway. "Your parents don't know you were gone so long. They think you're upstairs sleeping, so be quiet." "But how-" he cut me off. "Another time," he replied, and I went upstairs to my room.

I must have been in shock when I was riding home with Edward, because as soon as I was in my room, I rushed to the bathroom and hurled, followed by a long shower and frequent sobbing. I could've died. I could've died so easily from my carelessness. I wanted to sleep the pain away, hoping tomorrow it would all be a distant memory, a dark dream that never happened.

As I laid in my bed, I couldn't get the thoughts out of my mind. I woke up screaming several times through the night, luckily never enough to wake my parents. I felt tortured, I felt violated, I hated myself and my body and everything about me. I wanted to crawl in a dark corner and never have to face the world again. I wanted Edward. I wanted his cool touch wrapped around me to keep me safe from the world. I needed him, but he wasn't there. All that surrounded me was a dark bedroom, strange shadows casting along my walls that threatened abuse and dismay. I laid there, awake, until the sunlight rose. School was coming all too quickly.

 **Hi everyone! Thanks for reading. This was a rather dark chapter, that went off the original Twilight of Bella and her run in with the creepy guys. I just wanted to say, as you read you might've noticed that Cheyenne put her drink down, only for a second to reread Edward's text. It only takes a couple seconds for your drink to be spiked with drugs. Had this been a realistic novel, without Edward's presence, Cheyenne would've been sexually hurt and probably killed. Please remember, while you're out, to always have your drink in your hand, and never lose sight of it, even for a couple of seconds. If it is out of your sight, please remember to throw it away and get a new one! Remember to leave a review below and tell me what you'd like to see happen? Do you want to see James and his crew? Who's excited to meet Alice? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and happy reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

Ah, high school. A melodramatic story of millions of teenagers suffering four awkward years. Anything from bullying, to sex scandals, to cheaters, to… vampires? Alright, maybe my story isn't as simple as everyone else's. I was supposed to be NORMAL. I had always been normal, yet after moving to Forks everything completely changed. I met amazing people, yet the most spectacular so far has been Edward… and I don't think anyone could top him. When I woke up this morning I felt like I was dead. I had seen Edward in my dreams throughout the night, most of which ended with him standing in the corner of my room, staring down at me. Any rational person would find this quite horrifying. What kind of person feels comfort from a man— a vampire no less— standing in their room, speechless, unmoving and staring directly at them? I did. I didn't even bother to look away. I laid there and kept his eye contact until I drifted off into another dream, or just couldn't remember anymore. I never had dreams like that before, but I also had never gone through a traumatic event like I had last night. I was assaulted. I could've very easily been raped and beaten and left for dead, or even murdered. Edward saved me. I owed him my life, and anything he could ever want from me. I would give him anything in this world within my power. He owned me, even though I don't think he'd ever feel that way. And somehow, I was okay with that. I wanted him to own me. I wanted to be near him and feel his touch, and keep me nice and cool. I hated being hot. His body felt like a statue, yet it was so comforting to me, I felt unbelievably safe and secure. He could protect me from the world— and I needed protection. I was strong. So strong, and now I felt so weak and so helpless, but I knew I had to snap out of it. I needed to be my own person and never let anyone take "care" of me, even though I so desperately craved it. I refused to be a lamb that followed the shepherd. I was a leader— hell, I was the wolf.

My drive to school was a complete blur. The roads and trees flew past me in a giant blob of green that I couldn't even begin to distinguish. I think my eyes filled up with tears at a few points, but I ignored it. I was strong. I had to be. When I parked my car, things started to come into focus. I could pretend that everything was okay and that I would be okay, but my own thoughts and my own instability in my brain made every single person in this entire vicinity crash down on me like a thousand bricks fell on my chest. I slammed my back against my car door as I heard what felt like a million thoughts. " _She looks like she's going to faint,"_ was the last thing I heard before my mind went completely black.

I was laying on something cold and hard. I wasn't in my original spot next to my car, but in a meadow, filled with tulips and daisies, hundreds of wild flowers I couldn't even name, and the most immaculate trees- they were so tall, so beautiful, I could just sit here and stare at them forever. I blinked, and I think I even smiled, no thoughts, just my own. I didn't have to listen to anyone rambling in their mind about their crush in sixth period, I didn't hear my english teacher think about Tessa Bakeman's "fine ass". There was nothing but me. Oh god, was I dead? Dread rushed over me as I jumped up as fast as I could, my head swimming. I didn't feel as good as I thought I did, and emptied my stomach in a nearby bush. When I looked around, I saw Edward, sitting there in the pasture, his arms crossed over his chest, looking at me with worry on his face. Was I laying in his lap? Oh _why_ did I have to get up!? I sat back down in front of him, feeling the soft grass run between my fingers, and wondered why he had brought me here.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" was all he said, not even bothering to try to bring down the very weak and few walls that stood around my thoughts. I wouldn't have had the energy to block him even if I tried. "Very," was all I could say, choking on my words. Where did these tears come from? Why was my face so hot and flushed and my body so weak and tired? He knew what was happening, I knew what was happening, and all in one sudden movement, I reached for him, he reached for me, and I fell into his arms, crashing against his chest that probably should've hurt, but there was this electricity, there was this spark of raw emotion that let me feel him as I wanted to. I felt soft arms, cool skin, his flesh against my flesh, my head against his chest, and if I didn't know any better, I was sure I could hear his heart pumping out of his chest. But it wasn't. His arms were hard, his skin was cold, and his chest, while it rose and fell in what I'm sure was practiced and just second nature now, there was thumping of his heart. He was a vampire, and he always would be. And I was human, and I always would be. It didn't stop me from embracing him, from squeezing him tight and letting my tears race down my cheeks with such ferocity that I had probably popped a blood vessel. I hadn't cried yet- not like this- not this hysterical cry that I so desperately needed, and he so graciously knew. He knew more about me than I had thought, and he didn't even need to be in my mind to do so. He understood me, and I felt like I was beginning to understand him. "Never leave me," I said, not realizing the desperation that my voice had. I was vulnerable, I was letting the weakness I had inside of me that I never let anyone see show brilliantly to him, and it made me feel embarrassed. I wished I could take the words back, but I couldn't. "For as long as I live, Cheyenne, I will never leave your side."

There it went. There was my heart, thrown out onto the grass and wrapped in love and comfort, in safety and trust, everything that I had fought so hard to hide and bury deep within my soul. It was all out there, and I'm glad it was. I wanted to be able to be weak AND strong around someone, I wanted to be myself, I didn't want to hide anymore. I couldn't have been blessed with anyone better than Edward. I looked up at him, my cheeks stained red from tears, and my breathing still irregular from the gasping cries I choked out, and he was staring down at me with that perfect face. His perfect porcelain skin, white as marble, his eyes as golden as pure honey, and his lips- God, his lips were so perfectly shaped, and colored the most perfect shade of pink. He saw me looking at his lips, and I saw him looking at mine. I thought there would be awkwardness, I thought he or I would be hesitant, that we would wait and wait and wonder if the other would lean in first, but everything that we had done while sitting in this perfect meadow has been so synced, it was so mirrored, that as I leaned in, so did he, and now, I really think I died. His lips were perfect. They molded to mine in such a way that I never wanted to kiss another being every again. I wanted him, and all of him, forever and eternity. And we kissed, and kissed, and I laid my heart on the line, and I think he did too, and when we were done, we smiled, and I kept smiling until my cheeks hurt. I thought this day would be one of the worst I ever had, but it was clear to see, that it was the best day of my life.


End file.
